The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza gas confirmed that Israeli soldiers injured 130 Palestinians were injured by live bullets and caused many others to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, on Friday, as Israeli forces attacked the Great March of Return protests along the Gaza-Israel border.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said the soldiers injured 130 Palestinians, with live fire.

Dr. al-Qedra added that among the wounding are 30 children and four medics.

More than 204 Palestinians have been killed and thousands others injured since the outbreak of the Gaza border protests on March 30.

The protests call for ending the 12-year-long Israeli blockade of Gaza and for the right of return of the refugees.

Most of the casualties occurred on May 14 when Israeli forces attacked Palestinian protesters marking the 70th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of historical Palestine and the ensuing ethnic cleansing of half a million Palestinian refugees.

In related news, an Israeli army drone fired a missile at Palestinians, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, wounding three, and another missile east of the al-Boreij in central Gaza. videovideo

The prime minister visits the Gaza Division following rocket attack on Israel, where he meets with senior defense officials; 'I said at the outset of the government meeting this week that if these attacks don't stop, we'll make them stop,' he says.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday that "Israel will act with great force" against Gaza after rockets from the strip hit a Be'er Sheva home and the water off the shore of a central Israeli city.

The prime minister visited the Gaza Division, where he held a situation assessment with the heads of the IDF and the defense establishment.

"I said at the outset of the government meeting this week that if these attacks (from Gaza) don't stop, we'll make them stop," he said.

Later, Netanyahu traveled to the Sdot Negev Regional Council's operations room, where he met with the heads of the five regional councils near the Gaza border and updated them on the situation. A rocket alert siren went off at 3:39am in Be'er Sheva and surrounding communities in the Negev region, following which a rocket hit a house, breaking through two floors of concrete.

Due to the size of the rocket and the force of the impact, heavy damage was caused to the house that was hit and it is at risk of collapse. A house next door was hit by shrapnel from the rockets, and its balcony collapsed. Debris was scattered throughout the street, damaging parked cars and adjacent structures. Seven people were treated for shock after the attack, including 39-year-old Miri Tamano and her three children aged 9, 10, and 12, who were in the house when it was hit. In addition, three people were taken to the Soroka Medical Center in the city suffering from light bruising sustained when falling as they were running for shelter. Another rocket landed in the sea off the shores of a city in central Israel.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad released a statement from the "joint coordination room of resistance factions," in which they said they "reject all irresponsible attempts that try to change the direction and sabotage the Egyptian efforts, including the overnight firing of the rocket." Still, the IDF placed the blame for the rocket fire on Hamas. "The rockets that were fired are self-produced and medium-ranged. Only two organizations in Gaza have such rockets: Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It doesn't matter who fired, Hamas bears the responsibility," said IDF Spokesman Ronen Manelis. The IDF attacked over 20 targets, including a terror tunnel, in the Gaza Strip in retaliation, targeting Hamas military bases, rocket manufacturing sites, underground infrastructure, an offensive tunnel, and tunnel dig sites in other areas, including one of a sea terror tunnel. At least one 25-year-old Palestinian fighter was killed inside one of the posts and three others moderately wounded in the strikes, according to the Gaza health ministry.

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot decided to cut short his trip to the United States following the rocket attack, while Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the closure of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings and the reduction of the strip's fishing zone to three nautical miles. School was cancelled in Be'er Sheva, Sderot and the Gaza border communities following the rocket fire, though Ben-Gurion University announced classes will be held as normal. Meanwhile, Egypt and the United Nations are working to prevent further rocket and mortar fire in response to the IDF's attacks. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two bigger organizations in Gaza, are also involved in the talks. Western diplomatic sources said UN envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov was supposed to enter the Gaza Strip to aid in the efforts to restore calm, but cancelled his visit. So far, it appears the Egyptian and UN mediation efforts are bearing fruit, as even after four rounds of IDF strikes, during which over 20 quality targets were hit across the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been demonstrating restraint.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman claimed, on Tuesday, that Hamas had crossed all red lines, stressing that Israeli cabinet “must” take a decision to launch a “serious blow” on the Gaza Strip, to topple Hamas.

During a meeting with Israeli commanders and Israeli soldiers in charge of the Gaza division, he said: “We are not willing to accept the level of violence we see one week after another… a serious blow to Hamas could bring us at least five more years of quiet.”

He added, according to Days of Palestine: “The defence establishment did everything to [solve] the situation before 29 March before the violence broke out – we did this our way, by using force, by using persuasion, by cooperating with those who wanted to help.”

“There were all sorts of attempts to reach an arrangement led by Egypt, the UN, and the UN envoy. We tried all other ways, I did not see any results, unfortunately.”

Israeli news website Ynet reported him saying that the “serious blow… must be a decision of the cabinet. Unfortunately, neither the defence minister nor the prime minister can make such a decision on their own.”

The goal of the Palestinians in Gaza, he said, “is to lift the siege, which means one thing: uninterrupted free ability to bring in weapons, Hezbollah fighters and Iranians into the Gaza Strip – and we will never allow that”.

Prior to moving to Israel from Moldova, Lieberman worked as a nightclub bouncer. When he moved into an Israeli settlement, he gained infamy when he was charged with beating up the 12-year old boy. He espoused extreme right-wing views, and became a member of the Yisrael Beitenu party. He is now chair of that party.

In 2012, a corruption case against Lieberman was dropped, and an article in the Israeli paper Ha’aretz stated, “Completing the investigation would have required judicial inquiries in different countries, but a decision was taken on the matter, to wind up the investigation instead of probing deeper.”

The Israeli occupation army on Wednesday morning closed crossings with the Gaza Strip and decided to decrease the fishing zone in Gaza waters to three nautical miles.

Maher Abul-Awf, director of central operations at the crossings and border authority, said that the Palestinian Authority liaison office informed the Palestinian side of its decision to close the commercial Karam Abu Salem crossing and the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, which is used for passengers, until further notice.

Abul-Awf added that the limit for fishing off the coast of Gaza was also reduced to three nautical miles due to the fall of a rocket in Beersheba, which he described as “current events.’

Maariv newspaper, for its part, confirmed that those measures were taken by Israeli army minister Avigdor Lieberman in response to the rocket attack on Beersheba, which caused damage to a house there.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army also responded by waging several aerial attacks on Gaza. Three citizens were reportedly injured in an air raid on Rafah.

Maher Abul-Awf, director of central operations at the crossings and border authority, said that the Palestinian Authority liaison office informed the Palestinian side of its decision to close the commercial Karam Abu Salem crossing and the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, which is used for passengers, until further notice.

Abul-Awf added that the limit for fishing off the coast of Gaza was also reduced to three nautical miles due to the fall of a rocket in Beersheba, which he described as “current events.’

Maariv newspaper, for its part, confirmed that those measures were taken by Israeli army minister Avigdor Lieberman in response to the rocket attack on Beersheba, which caused damage to a house there.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army also responded by waging several aerial attacks on Gaza. Three citizens were reportedly injured in an air raid on Rafah.

Israeli warplanes early on Wednesday morning bombed different areas of the Gaza Strip after the Israeli occupation army claimed that a Palestinian rocket landed in Beersheba.

The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reporter in Gaza said that the Israeli army launched several aerial attacks on resistance posts in the southern area of Gaza City, Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, Zeitoun neighborhood in eastern Gaza, and Rafah as well as a cultivated plot of land in Khan Younis.

A health ministry official said that three citizens suffered injuries in the air raids on Rafah and were transferred to hospital for medical assistance.

The airstrikes caused panic among school students as they were going to their schools, especially in Rafah area.

This Israeli military escalation took place after a rocket allegedly fired from Gaza hit a house in Beersheba.

An army spokesperson also claimed that another rocket from Gaza fell into the sea.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has reported that a young man died, on Tuesday at night, from serious wounds he suffered a day earlier after Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire in northern Gaza.

It identified the slain Palestinian as Saddam Abu Shallash, 27, from Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

He was shot with live Israeli army fire, near Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, and was rushed to surgery, and then to intensive care, but succumbed to his wounds.

It is worth mentioning that Saddam is the brother of Sharif Abu Shallash, 28, who was killed by Israeli soldiers on December 23rd 2017.

On Tuesday evening, Palestinian medical sources said the army shot two young men, east of Deir al-Balah city, in central Gaza.

On Monday, Israeli navy and soldiers shot 32 Palestinians with live fire, in addition to causing dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, during protest against the ongoing siege on Gaza.

For the first time in months, a Grad rocket was fired from Gaza at around 4 am on Wednesday, hitting the yard of a house in the city of Beersheba, causing no injuries or damage.

Various Palestinian armed resistance movements rejected responsibility for the rocket.

They issued a statement stating that, “The representatives of the resistance in Gaza salute and thank the Egyptian effort to achieve our national goals and reject and reject all irresponsible attempts to thwart these efforts – including these rockets fired last night.”

They added, “The resistance does not hide behind any veil – we are always willing to claim responsibility for our actions. But we did not fire these rockets.”

In addition, Abu Mujahed, the spokesperson of the National Resistance Committees in Gaza, said “the [Israeli] occupation is coming up with excuses to attack and bomb Gaza,” and added that “the resistance will always be ready to retaliation to any Israeli offensive.”

It is worth mentioning that both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad issued similar statement denying responsibility for firing the missile, and also said that the “rockets are only meant to sabotage and foil the indirect talks, mediated by Egypt.

The resistance has restrained its fighters from firing rockets toward Israel since the weekly Great March of Return non-violent protests at the border of Gaza began on March 30th, 2018.

The rocket fired Wednesday morning was one of two fired at around the same time, according to the Israeli military. The second rocket ended up falling into the sea.

When the rocket was airborne, the Israeli alarm system sounded and Israeli residents of the city entered shelters set up for that purpose.

The Iron Dome missile defense system, which Israel set up with U.S. funding to fire air-to-air missiles at any rockets fired from Gaza, did not activate.

Israeli Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, decided to close all border terminals in Gaza, and to impose further reductions on the fishing zone.

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli Air Force fired several missiles at many areas in the Gaza Strip, wounding 14 Palestinians, including six schoolchildren in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. The wounded were rushed to the Al-Aqsa Hospital.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said the army targeted three of its centers in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said one Palestinian, identified as Naji Jamal Mohammad Za’anin, 25, was killed when the Israeli missiles struck a site in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza. The Palestinian was from Beit Hanoun, also in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli airforce dropped bombs in several parts of Gaza Wednesday morning, wounding 14 Palestinians in addition to killing Za’anin, including six schoolchildren, in Deir al-Balah city, in central Gaza, before they were rushed to the Al-Aqsa Hospital.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said the army targeted three of its centers in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

The first center, Abu Jarad, south of Gaza city, and the second, al-Waha, west of Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, and the third in the Zeitoun neighborhood, in the center of Gaza city.

The army later fired more missiles into areas in Rafah, in southern Gaza, and another site of the al-Qassam Brigades in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza.

In addition, the Israeli Air Force fired missiles into agricultural lands in the az-Zanna area, in Bani Suheila town, east of Khan Younis, and a near the seaport, west of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

For its part, Egypt started contacting Palestinian officials in Gaza, and Israeli officials, in an attempt to mediate an prevent a further escalation in the area.

The bombs were dropped on Gaza after unknown Palestinians fired a rocket into Israel Wednesday morning, causing no injuries.

Abu Mujahed, the spokesperson of the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza, said in a statement that no Palestinian resistance groups were involved in the firing of the rocket – and that all the armed Palestinian resistance groups are always willing to claim responsibility if they ever do fire rockets.

The statement was made after discussions with the representatives of all the Palestinian armed resistance groups.